Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Overall Im satisfied - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By kid6281 - January 17 - 1:36 am

  I have put more sets of tires on this car than I thought possible. Love the gas mileage both highway and city still, after 114,000 miles. Had remote start & XM installed, both were easy & still work great. Wish I would have gotten one with a spoiler and a different color (millennium mica red = rosy barf)

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  Never Again! - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By elyarne7 - January 12 - 9:41 am

  I bought this car with 29,000 miles on it. That was 3 years ago. It now has 90,000 miles on it. It has only had problem after problem - battery, multiple wheel bearings, tire links, brakes, alternator. The alignment is easily messed up. The car is not well made - its cheap, lightweight and already starting to rust. Its a money pit. Do not buy it! Oh, and my Mazda is the automatic, not 5-speed standard.

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  A new car - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Haihu - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I just bought a automatic protege this july. I like it. The internal space is big enought to make me comfort. Mint in steering and braking. However, when I use cruise control at 70 mile/hour, the engine is at 3100 rpm. A little worried about that since the other cars (civic, sentra and corolla) only need 2600 rpm to maintain the speed.

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  Cocky lil car huh! - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By rltaylor - December 12 - 10:00 am

  I had done research up on 3 cars (Honda, Toyota and Mazda) for about 3 mo. And decided on the 2000 Protege LX (standard-only 20,400 miles). Its a snappy tight lil car. Toyota and Honda are a lot more expensive but the Protege LX (my opinion) has the same performance if not better and made in JAPAN too. purrs like a kitten!

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  Great car - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By Jeff - December 9 - 2:16 am

  I purchased this car for my wife and wanted good handling and 4 wheel disc brakes. Had wanted a Civic but the disc brakes only came on the Si. This has been a great car - fun to drive and no problems at all. Engine not as sweet as a Honda but it has a lot of pickup around town and on the highway as well. Not as smooth in the higher RPM range as a Honda but that is not really an issue. Highway mileage is 31-32 so it gives up a bit to a Civic but much more of a sporty ride. I prefer driving the ES to my Accord V-6. I have an auto transmission and it still has a lot of Zoom Zoom. Did I mention great handling with a good highway ride? You cannot go wrong with this car. I dont like the 3.

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  165K trouble free miles - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By Ray - December 7 - 2:10 am

  I cant say enough good things about this car. Im still on the original clutch and original water pump. Just change the oil every 3,750 miles and perform the major service every 30K miles. Amazing car.

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  Maybe the perfect "cheap" car - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By FenderCalderon - December 4 - 7:36 pm

  A picture of this car should be alongside the dictionary entry for reliable. In 5 yrs the only unexpected repair was the main engine belt -and it was probably my fault. After owning a lemon it feels great knowing you can rely on this car. As far as routine maintenance goes you can DIY and save even more money. The interior materials wont be winning any prestigious awards but regardless for a car in this price range the interior is more than ok. I like to have fun when I drive and this is a good car for that; just dont expect to have great gas mileage this way. Sometimes I think the car may be boring but when I find an open stretch of road to let er rip I always end up smiling.

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  One not so good one - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By bubba gump - November 24 - 2:00 am

  This was my 5th Mazda. First four I really loved. Though fun to drive, was in the shop alot. Over a little less than three years had to replace:Battery, coil and igniter, two sets of plugs and wires, a catalitic converter, gas tank fuel filter and sock. Also had to replace tires at 18,000 mi. Phew. However, based on past experience and "0" financing, Ill be picking up a brand new LX Pro. in three days. Guess that might be loyalty and trust, hope its well placed.

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  Love it! - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By TotalBoy13 - October 12 - 12:50 pm

  I love my car today just as much as the day a drove it off the lot. It is not only very sporty, it is a lot of fun to drive. The quality is amazing, and the drive is tight and responsive. Everything inside is comfortable, within reach, and easy to use. I recommend to anyone in the market to strongly consider this car!

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  Improvement was needed on the MP3 - 2001 Mazda Protege
  By Sphantomk - October 7 - 9:43 pm

  I love this car. I wanted one from the day it came out on the lot. After I got one though I had to admit that everyone was right. It needed more power. So I got my hands on a 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege that was wrecked by a rear end collision with only 1k miles on the car. Took the full turbo kit and put it on my MP3. The MP3 now has just over 200 horsepower at the wheels. The car is now perfect!